If you are one of the 8.7 million people in the U.S. who struggle with binge eating disorder, it can feel like a nightmare. Most of us have episodes of simple overeating, like during the holidays or at a favorite restaurant. This is often due to social pressure, a celebratory mood, or just because something tastes amazing. We might get uncomfortably full, but then we move on, making these episodes more of an exception than a rule for us. But when the consumption of food becomes uncontrollable and detrimental, it may have escalated to binge eating.
If you feel you have a tendency for binge eating, it doesn’t necessarily mean you have an eating disorder. But you will likely be healthier — physically and emotionally — if you address the issue before it gets to that point. You might want to start with identifying your triggers.
Identify Your Triggers
There are three categories or types of eating that are typical for most people.
Eating for your body, which provides necessary nourishment.
Eating for your mouth, which provides comfort in chewing and tasting certain foods.
Eating for your brain or heart, which may be an attempt to ease Trapped Emotions with food.
Number one is really the only correct and healthy way to eat. So, when you find yourself engaging in numbers two and/or three, take a close look at what might be driving you to keep eating. What are your triggers? Some common factors include:
Work stress
Family emergencies/issues
Relationship problems
Money worries
Boredom
Trapped or buried emotions
Trapped Emotions and Binge Eating
If through careful self-observation you realize you are “eating your emotions,” the next step is to determine what they are, and then work on releasing any Trapped Emotions that may be in play.
An effective way to discover your Trapped Emotions is through muscle testing. Muscle testing is a simple way you can get answers from your subconscious about what’s really going on in your mind and body. You can muscle test yourself, or have it done by proxy through a certified Emotion Code practitioner. Using a series of yes or no questions, muscle testing can help you identify the problematic emotions — which sometimes go back generations — and then work to release them.
After releasing any Trapped Emotions, take time to reflect and determine if you still feel like binge eating. If not, those Trapped Emotions may have been an underlying cause of your unhealthy eating habits.
More Tips for Overcoming Binge Eating
Some of us may need more help beyond the release of Trapped Emotions. If you find yourself continuing the habit of binge eating as more of a rule than an exception, you can try:
Eating whole, all-natural, unprocessed foods
Planning and prepping meals ahead of time so they are conveniently available
Increasing your fiber intake
Practicing mindfulness while eating
Developing an alternative activity when you feel like binge eating, such as going for a walk, coloring a picture, or meditating
Getting adequate sleep
Purposeful Positivity
Sometimes you may feel the need for a whole new relationship with food and eating. Thanks to social stigmas and body image issues, many of us have come to have a negative view of the word “diet.” It has come to signify lack or deprivation, but diet as a noun is simply “the kinds of foods that a person, animal, or community habitually eats.”
To ease the negative connotations, turn the thought process around to help your mind shift from the proverbial “diet mentality” to one of diet as simply the foods you eat. You can start with these modifications:
Treat day, not cheat day
Way of eating, not a diet
Feeling better, not losing weight
Feeling better, not body image
